Apple issued a warning on Wednesday that its flagship consumer privacy feature, App Tracking Transparency (ATT), could soon be disabled across Europe.
The company cited growing legal pressures and what it described as “intense lobbying efforts” from advertising industry groups and national competition regulators in Germany, Italy, and beyond.
In a statement to German news agency DPA, Apple said it might be forced to withdraw the feature, calling such a move a setback for European consumers who rely on privacy protections.
The company insists it will continue discussions with European authorities to preserve user choice and data protection across all iOS devices.
Why is Apple threatening to disable ATT in Europe?
The move stems from escalating regulatory scrutiny under European antitrust rules and the Digital Markets Act. Apple argues that the legal landscape in Europe is being shaped by aggressive lobbying campaigns from ad-tech firms and rival platforms that feel disadvantaged by Apple’s tightening data controls.
Apple’s statement reflects growing tension between privacy by design and regulatory oversight in one of the company’s core markets.
If suspended, the feature’s withdrawal would effectively roll back one of the strongest privacy tools ever implemented on a mainstream smartphone platform.
Did you know?
The App Tracking Transparency feature cut global ad tracking rates by more than 50 percent within its first year of launch.
What led to the EU antitrust pushback?
Germany’s Federal Cartel Office launched its investigation into ATT in 2022. In February 2025, it found preliminary evidence suggesting Apple’s implementation could unfairly favor its own apps and services.
Regulators claimed Apple made it “far more difficult” for publishers and developers to obtain data used for personalized ads.
This investigation followed similar action in France, where competition regulators fined Apple €150 million in March 2025 for complicating users’ ability to opt out of tracking.
Meanwhile, Italy’s competition authority is scheduled to issue a ruling later this year on whether Apple’s approach constitutes market abuse.
How has ATT reshaped global advertising economics?
Since its debut in 2021 as part of iOS 14, ATT has fundamentally altered the economics of digital advertising. By giving users a clear opt-in prompt, it slashed cross-app tracking rates, directly impacting major platforms like Meta and Snap.
Analysts estimate that ATT cost Meta roughly $12.8 billion in lost ad revenue in its first full year.
The feature has become a cornerstone of Apple’s positioning as a privacy-first technology brand, bolstering its credibility with regulators in the United States and setting new benchmarks for transparency in digital marketing.
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What are regulators accusing Apple of doing?
European authorities argue that Apple’s ATT selectively applies privacy standards, granting its proprietary apps lighter restrictions than third-party apps.
Apple contests this claim, stating that its internal apps are designed so they cannot link user data across services even if the company wanted to.
Critics contend that these distinctions give Apple a structural advantage in digital advertising, effectively transforming the App Store into a walled garden for user data.
Regulators suggest that even well-intentioned privacy frameworks may still function as instruments of monopolistic control.
Could privacy controls survive amid new EU rules?
Apple maintains that it will continue to urge European officials to protect the principle of user consent that ATT embodies.
However, under the Digital Markets Act, gatekeeper companies like Apple must grant developers equal access to user data if privacy is not demonstrably compromised.
Industry observers believe this could lead to a partial redesign of ATT or a region-specific alternative for EU markets.
Either approach would test Apple’s ability to balance public commitments to privacy with legal mandates for fair competition.
As European authorities weigh enforcement actions, the broader debate now extends beyond advertising and into the philosophy of digital rights.
Whether Apple’s privacy architecture survives intact could decide how deeply technology companies influence the balance between commercial transparency and consumer protection worldwide.
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